So simple. So sublime: This cajun Chicken a la Grande -- perfected by a N'awlins restaurant -- will fill your kitchen with deliciously pungent smells and delivers BIG flavor

If you're like me, you may find yourself craving dishes from your favorite restaurants these days. I moved to Washington in mid-December, so I have not had much of a chance to build a roster of must-haves from restaurants here.

Instead, during these stay-at-home days, I find myself longing for dishes from my hometown of New Orleans.

Each of those is difficult for me to truly replicate - most of my favorite restaurant dishes are. It can be tough to get the right ingredients, especially now, and I often do not have the specific recipe, skills or tools required.

But recently a reader's simple question sparked a craving for a specific dish, and I nailed it: Mosca's Chicken a la Grande.

The reader shared what she thought was a cooking challenge: She swore she had ordered 1 head of garlic from a grocery delivery service, but she got 10. What should she do?

As I read through those garlic recipes, suddenly all I wanted to eat was Mosca's simple platter of pan-fried chicken seasoned with tons of garlic and a generous amount of herbs.

The restaurant features a few recipes on its website, but I, opted to dig out my copy of Kit Wohl's "New Orleans Classic Celebrations" because I remembered it included Mary Jo Mosca's version of Chicken a la Grande, which features the addition of a little white wine, which sounded so good.

This dish is quick and easy to prepare in one skillet, but it fills your kitchen with deliciously pungent smells and delivers big flavor.

Chicken pieces are doused in white wine, generously seasoned with salt and pepper and pan-fried in olive oil until golden brown. Then, in go 10 cloves of smashed garlic and 1 tablespoon each of dried rosemary and oregano. The whole thing is covered and simmered until the chicken is tender. That is it.

When the spices hit the oil and chicken pieces, the scent that filled my kitchen told me the dish would be on the money. And, it was.

So simple. So sublime.

I made a side dish of crisp-tender green beans to go with it. If you are in a hurry, make the beans in a separate skillet while the chicken is browning, as directed below.

If you have time, finish the chicken, remove the pieces and almost all the spicy oil and keep it warm. Then, cook your green beans in that same seasoned skillet for a one-skillet supper of more flavorful beans and easier cleanup.

MOSCA'S CHICKEN A LA GRANDE

Active: 45 minutes | Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 4

Any mix of chicken pieces works for this recipe. You can buy a 3-pound chicken and cut it up, but if the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half to ensure even cooking.

You can substitute lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar, and other herbs, such as thyme, would work in place of the oregano or rosemary.

Storage Notes: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN

• 1/2 cup white wine, such as chardonnay or fume blanc

• 3 pounds chicken pieces (about 8 pieces), dark and light meat

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 to 10 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded to near paste or grated

• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, or 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, or 3 tablespoons fresh oregano

FOR THE BEANS

• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 pound green beans, defrosted if frozen

• 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper Steps

Make the chicken: In a large bowl, add the wine and then the chicken, turning to moisten each piece. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate, reserving the wine, and generously season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry, turning the pieces as needed, until generously browned, about 25 minutes. If chicken is getting too brown, lower the heat to medium.

Once the chicken is brown, remove skillet from heat and add the garlic, rosemary and oregano and reserved wine to the skillet, and stir to evenly coat the chicken pieces.

Return to low heat, cover and cook until the liquid is reduced by half and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.

Make the green beans: While chicken is browning, in another large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the green beans and cook, stirring often, until browned in spots, about 5 minutes.

Add the water or broth, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender about 3 minutes. Push the beans to the side of the skillet. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the garlic and cook, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the garlic into the beans. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

If not serving green beans right away, transfer them from the hot skillet to a platter to stop the cooking. Cover lightly and keep warm until serving.

Transfer the chicken, with its pan juices, to a platter and serve warm.

Nutrition | Calories: 729; Total Fat: 43 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol: 250 mg; Sodium: 1510 mg; Carbohydrates: 13 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 4 g; Protein: 72 g.

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